RAF hero may have known killer

A Second World War veteran police may have been murdered by a psychopath who gets a thrill from killing, police have said.

Widower Joseph Cohen, 88, was stabbed more than 20 times in a "cold, callous, deliberate" way. Detectives have ruled out a random attack and believe the manner of his death means Mr Cohen could have known and trusted his killer.

Mr Cohen's fully-clothed body was found in a pool of blood in the bedroom of his flat in Stamford Hill, north London, last Friday.

As police became increasingly concerned the killer might strike again, Mr Cohen's family struggled to come to terms with his savage murder.

His only child Harvey Cohen, 51, a financial adviser from Essex, said: "I cannot get to grips with it. It doesn't seem possible that dad is dead, far less that he has been murdered.

"He was a fit man, even for his age. He enjoyed life and had been away on some cruises. Each day he would meet friends for lunch in the West End.

"I tried to get him to move to a residential home near the family in Essex but he didn't want to leave the house where he lived for 40 years and where my mother Sadie died."

Mr Cohen grew up in the East End, volunteered for the RAF when the Second World War started and saw action in Italy.

After the war, he worked as a cabinet maker then became a salesman for a toy company.

Mr Cohen lived alone following the death of his wife from a heart attack 18 years ago. Though he often kept cash in his flat, he was very security-conscious and would not allow in anyone he did not know. Police believe the killer may have won his trust over a period of time.

Detective Chief Inspector Vic Rae, who is leading the murder hunt, said: "We are seriously considering the possibility that whoever did this could be a psychopath who gets a thrill from killing.

"This is because of the deliberate nature of the stab wounds. There was also no sign of a robbery. No money was taken from Mr Cohen's accounts either. It is really very strange why someone would want to stab a frail man of 88 more than 20 times in such a way."

DCI Rae said police have discounted any links with murders thought to have been carried out in a random manner, such as that of art student Margaret Muller.

The 27-year-old American was attacked and stabbed as she jogged in Victoria Park, Hackney in February.

Police are trying to piece together the final movements of Mr Cohen, who was last seen alive by a neighbour on Monday last week, but other residents of his block, Rosedale House, raised the alarm when he had not been seen by Friday last week.

Anyone with any information can call the incident room on 0208 345 3985 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.